Collegiate Times

24 months? how bout 24 years.

You act like he killed a human.

No one really care about the dog fighting or the dog killings, it's just the popular choice to be all animal rights when people could care less, I cant wait to see him back on the playing field and back in the Lane. Vicksburg son

23 months is a little ridiculous for killing some dogs. That's almost 2 years of a man's life for something that the humane society does every day. Granted, the way he went about his business was certainly not humane, but still, 2 years? Can't wait to see one of the greatest players in football back on the field. Long live Vick.

Haha, while I will agree 23 mts is a bit much (he could get out in 20 mts w/ good behavior), he deserves it. Just another moron who thinks they're above the law. And see him back on the field?! Haaaaaaaaa, his career as a pro football player is over. Who knows what he will get from the state and what Goodell will do. I bet he bans him from the NFL period. And it's not Vicksburg anymore loser. I'd like to remember the players who haven't disgraced the school... B. Randall, Daryl Tapp, Kevin Jones, Lee Suggs, and hopefully in the end TYROD TAYLOR!

Whether you care about dogs or not, you can't really defend a multi-millionaire flagrantly and systematically disobeying federal and state laws for such a long period of time. Two acts of vandalism can get you two years in jail.

I think this is horrible....Vick gets to be the "person to go down into the books for dog fighting" with a 2 year sentence...but other offenders of this law get probation/community service of like 200hrs...but Vick because he is in the news because of his celebrity football status...gets put through the ringer...and is made an example out of...this is bs!

I don't know that he got enough. One good thing is that he'll probably lose all those millions of dollars he has too

Dogfighting is distasteful at best, but it's ridiculous that Vick is getting the "example" treatment. I don't even want to know how many millions of taxpayer dollars were spent on this waste of time and how many more will be spent to keep him incarcerated. Hey FBI, federal prosecutors, etc, go find some terrorists and keep us safe instead of using this dog and pony show to entertain the masses. What a disgrace.

Wow, the 'informant' and Vick's partner, Tony Taylor, only got 2 mts!!! I can't believe that. He helped scout the location and killed numerous dogs. I bet Vick is wishing he would have left his loser cousins and friends behind instead of letting them help drag him down.

I'll start by saying that yes what these guys did was wrong, "THESE GUYS" not just Mike Vick. I'm willing to bet that not a single one of you judgemental people has ever stopped to pick up road kill, let alone take a stray animal in. Let's talk 'PETA" which is a joke PROFIT corporation ran from a 25 million dollar building....What the hell you need a $25 million building for and HUMANS are starving. If you're going to do something for the better for mankind how bout doing the shit for free as well as "Church's, preachers with private jets, & 30 Grand toilet seats. It is people like you all who make this world a worse place to live than dog-fighters. Jihad for the animals, what's even worse is you say blacks throw the race card in America and I bet on my grandmothers grave that every body who posted a comment is white. With all the Government screw-ups, secret societies with hidden agendas designed to keep us all down, we are going to hell in a hand basket by means that $200 million per day on war, 3000 American "Human" lives lost in an illegal war, Presidents vetoing "HUMAN" child health care with nerve to ask for $4 Billion more for war. I say to you people of America, when things happen repeatedly like questions asked to our leaders and they shy away from the questions, our minds does not need to be worried about a black man who makes more money than we do. Now put your camo's back on grab your John Deer hats, load up your shotguns, kill another innocent deer "WHITE MAN" just to mount it on your wall and feel sooo sooo innocent. Final thought, instead of being worried about red nose pitbulls which were and have always been a fighter breed of dogs instinctively, consider the "Red Flags" we should be waving for those who control the "Red Button". PLEASE EARTH WAKE UP!!! Blessings To All

Umm to THE TRUTH: Were you reading a different message board?? Most of the people who have posted here are sticking up for Vick?? Get off your high horse and take your argument to a message board where everyone is bashing Vick.

23 mths is nothing for the act of torture. I do not approve of dogfighting but if it were legal, then treat it as a business. for instance, we race animals in this country and when they don't perform, they get euthanized, not tortured with electricty or beaten to death. Of course, racing is legal in this country as opposed to Michael Vick's "business". I am releived that he is doing time for his cruelness. He wasn't merciful and that says alot about a person's character. He wasn't only making money with his illegal "business" but he was acting out his cruelness on an animal that doesn't deserve it. No one deserves that. He wasn't ethical and we have to stand up as a moral community and say "That ain't right." We shouldn't make excuses for our bad behavior either. Now I don't judge Michael Vick: I judge his action. And though I have never picked up road kill Truth, I have never tortured my dogs nor have I been an unmerciful master either. And if I were, then I should suffer the same consequences. I have shot and killed deer Mr. Truth commenter, but I didn't torture it with electric probes...I ate it and was thankful to put food on my table. Cause we "Red neck" folks don't have the money to eat steak and sushi everyday. We kill our food not torture it. Don't get the two confused. Sincerely, A white girl

LOL, I agree Colleen. Plus, if it weren't for hunting the deer population would be out of control. I'd rather a hunter shoot & eat them than the dumb deer running into the side of my car b/c they are looking for food. I hate when people try to make analogies where they don't exist.

Colleen, I agree that "we have to stand up as a moral community and say, 'that ain't right'", and I think we have done that. Even if Vick didn't immediately realize the number of people who are outraged by what he has done, he need only check the list of terminated endorsement deals, lost NFL contract money, etc. to reassure himself of where he stands with the public. That said, I still think that our government is wrong to criminalize dog fighting and gambling. I'll be the first to agree that they are vices, but they don't infringe upon the rights of other citizens. It should be left to the individual to make moral decisions, and when those decisions fall this far outside the mainstream, the punishment (in terms of lost money and social credibility) fits the crime. Look at Nathan Jones (the VT costumer); he didn't do anything illegal, but it was seen as so distasteful to so many people that he was fired over the incident. If we still allowed tarring and feathering, these two would be prime candidates, but society has a way of still letting people know when they've gone off the deep end, even if we can't disgrace them in the town square.

The problem Jason T. by not outlawing dogfighting and some forms of gambling, is when someone like Vick gets out of hand, there is not way to lawfully punish them by law. So when he tortures animals, we can't flog him in the streets which I wouldn't agree to anyway. The government may have its faults but it was formed to protect people from people. I think its the answering to authority that some people don't like. It's a pain, I know, but it has to be done. And honestly, I prefer to answer to the government at times than people. Sometimes the people react more out of emotion than truth. So there is a checks and balance system and it has flaws....because it was made by people.

As it stands, he's been punished both criminally and socially: criminally by sentencing him to prison, and socially through the lost endorsements and salary. Take away the criminal aspect and he still gets punished. He stands to lose $140 million. If that's not punishment, I don't know what is. If that's not incentive to act in a more socially responsible way in the future, I don't know what is. The people may act out of emotion, but the people can't send you to jail. The government's job is to protect citizens' freedoms and to prosecute those who infringe upon the freedoms of others. Vick didn't do that, so the government should butt out. The checks and balances system is flawed because the government is out of control. It is not the government's purpose to regulate every aspect of our lives, yet that's exactly what it tries to do. The more we roll over and let laws pass that limit individual freedoms, the further our system gets from balance.

I do think that dogfighting is wrong; the idea of using animals in a game that makes them fight to the death, or severe injury, isn't right. His co-defendants got the lighter sentence because they snitched (or cooperated with the feds; however you want to describe it). I think that he deserves to be held responsible for his actions. I also think that too much attention has been focused on this issue; he was wrong and he's being punished--end of the story. I don't think that people pay this much attention to the fact that R. Kelly has repeatedly dated under age girls, but people still buy his CDs and go to his concerts. Crimes that affect people (murder, molestation, rape, et c) don't even get this much attention. Michael is doing his time and the court of public opinion needs to get off of its high horse and leave him alone.

Lia, thanks for making my point for me. Your R. Kelly example is right on. A crime should be considered something that infringes on the freedoms and rights of another human. Animals are not given Constitutional protection; only humans are. While we all seem to agree that dog fighting is immoral, immoral shouldn't equal illegal. Many consider abortion immoral, but it is legal, and it has more to do with questions of human rights than dog fighting does. I think we can all agree that if we start legislating based on morals, we're headed down the wrong path. Morals are relative, and no individual should not be legally obligated to obey any set of morals above and beyond basic respect for the rights of others.